


Take On Me

by Sintero



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Comics), New Avengers (Comics), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Venom (Comics)
Genre: Imprisonment, Kree, M/M, Venom is a BAMF, protective Venom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 01:35:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8646808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sintero/pseuds/Sintero
Summary: Flash finds himself taking an impromptu sabbatical in a Kree interrogation cell. His partner, Venom, is decidedly not pleased by this turn of events.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet is part of the Month of Venomber symbiote posting fest taking place here: [http://writhingbeneathyou.tumblr.com ](http://writhingbeneathyou.tumblr.com) 
> 
> Based on the Venom: Space Knight comic book series.

“Note to self: Quill doesn’t get to plan vacations anymore,” Flash slurred into the confines of his humid prison cell.

He lay supine on the metal grate for a long moment, letting the grid-work sink into his skin while he focused on relearning how to breathe.

After his not so brief stint in a Kree interrogation chair, the jury was still out on what hurt the most: the sticky rope burns around his neck, the half dozen ribs that the Accuser must have mistaken for a Kit Kat bar, or his everything else. Flash was leaning towards the latter.

Pain blossomed along the right side of his face where he could already feel a black eye forming. He prodded at it tentatively and ground his teeth at the severity of the swelling that he found there. Within the hour he probably wouldn’t be able to see out of the damn thing. Fantastic.

And the ringing tinnitus certainly wasn’t helping matters, either.

“Flash!” a voice roared a few paces to his right. From the panicked tone, Flash surmised that Venom had been calling his name for some time now.

He turned his head to peer over at the eldritch horror snarling and snapping its teeth in frustration at the energy screen that separated their conjoined prison cells.

“Easy there, Big Guy. I take it you missed me?” Flash teased, then greeted his partner with a small wave that shifted his ribs in decidedly agonizing ways.

Venom hissed and dropped to his knees with a resounding clang. “Now isn’t the time for jokes. Are you hurt? Come over here and let me take a look,” he shot out in rapid succession.

Flash laughed weakly, immediately regretting it when his ribs shifted yet again. “Moving isn’t exactly in the game plan right now, man. I hurt in places I didn’t even know I had,” he responded with a pained grimace.

The white markings on Venom’s face surged and resettled. “Come over here. I can help,” he insisted, a slight note of irritation seeping into his voice.

Flash smiled softly, his teeth shockingly bright against the mottled bruises that marred his face. Venom was, as always, his anchor point amidst the pain. No matter what happened at the hands of their Kree captors, there was always his sibilant voice and gentle hands to sooth away the ache and indignity of it all.

“Flash!” The frustrated hiss cut through his reverie.

“Alright, alright. Just keep your pants on,” he answered with a small huff of amusement.

Venom cocked his head to the side and considered Flash’s own state of undress, but deigned to comment.

Teeth clenched tightly, Flash managed to roll onto his stomach with no more than a grunt. Though, his body weight bearing down onto his injuries certainly wasn’t the most comfortable thing that he had ever experienced. He took a moment to catch his breath, then managed to army crawl his way towards the crackling partition between their cells. The going was slow and his ribs screamed with each pull, but Venom’s continuous hiss, rising like a tea kettle, urged him on.

Finally, he pulled himself into a half sprawl and all but collapsed against the green-tinged energy field between them. It bowed slightly beneath his weight until he could feel the solid swell of Venom’s body press against his cheek. The abnormal chill that radiated from the symbiote’s broad back stood out starkly against the prison cell’s oppressive heat, which sought to suck every last drop of moisture from Flash’s body.

“Wow, that’s nice,” he moaned in satisfaction at the reprieve. “How long was I gone this time?”

“Too long,” was Venom’s snarled response. Flash let the topic go in favor of closing his eyes and pressing his swollen face against the screen as well. The field conformed to the curve of his cheek, allowing him to feel not only the emanation of cold, but also the gentle touch of Venom’s palm as it rose to gently cup his face.

They stayed that way for some time, long enough for Flash to doze and for Venom’s chill to resolve the worst of the swelling.

When he awoke, Venom was gone.

* * *

The symbiote returned an indeterminate stretch of time later, flowing into the prison cell and settling in a puddle next to the screen.

“Hey, Big Guy,” Flash greeted softly, to which Venom responded with a slosh.

Flash lowered himself onto the metal grate next to him and stared up at the dolefully swaying lamp on the ceiling. The symbiote was uncharacteristically quiet when he finally solidified into a vaguely more humanoid shape. Regardless, Flash was thankful for the return of his cool, silent presence. The lull in conversation stretched on until Venom’s rasping voice finally broke the companionable quiet.

“We’ll be leaving the next time that the Kree come for you. You’ll need to be ready,” he stated while scanning the ductwork along the ceiling with faux tranquility. Flash languidly rolled his head to study his partner’s profile. Despite the calm, even cadence of his words, tendrils arched away from Venom’s smooth face in an almost violent manner, then wove back together in new and different configurations.

“What do you mean?” Flash asked hesitantly, pushing himself up onto his elbows. The cesspool of rage simmering beneath the symbiote’s surface was evident enough to make him wary. He hadn’t witnessed that level of sheer, unbridled anger since the last time- “Wait, did you manage to take a host?”

Venom continued to stare straight up from where he lay, ankles crossed and claws threaded across his barrel chest. “I mean exactly that,” he stated, choosing to let the second question remain unanswered. “Do you trust me, Flash?”

“You know I do. You’re my partner,” Flash pronounced without hesitation despite the non sequitur, as if the weight of that one, simple word could express the intimate totality of their connection. “But how are we…” he began only for his question to taper off when Venom turned to study him with a startling intensity. Angry electric pops and crackles shot out of the shield as he ran his claws along its surface and traced the outline of Flash’s face.

“The Kree was strong enough to resist, but not quickly enough. His secrets are now my secrets,” Venom explained. Snapping his jaws at the effort, he managed to vibrate his flesh at the partition’s frequency and pierce the veil.

He took advantage of the small victory to brush his thumb across the swell of Flash’s lips and admire the swift rise of color that followed. Satisfied with the rosy tint, Venom absently tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear and leaned in close enough to share breath, if not for the partition.

“When the time comes, be ready to give yourself over to me completely. After I breach the field I’ll be weak; you will have to be my strength. Can you do that for me, Flash Thompson…partner?” he asked, voice thick.

Flash swallowed reflexively. “Y-yeah, I can do that,” he whispered into the space between them.

Venom’s caress lingered on his cheek another moment before the symbiote reclaimed his smoking limb.


End file.
